In another thread they talk about how executioners wore masks either to hide their identity or to symbolize that the worked for the state. According to something I read the word derrick (as in oil derrick) comes from the name of a “famous” 16th century hangman. Is this an urban legend? If not, how did people know who he was if he wore a mask?
My Merriam-Webster Collegiate says is comes from “derrick - a hangman or gallow. After Derick a 17th century English hangman.”
From the OED {some abbreviations and fine print omitted}:
And from a now obsolete meaning of derrick as “to hang”:
So either the hangman in those days didn’t wear a mask, or the mask was just symbolic and those in the know knew his identity.
Maybe he was wearing one of those “Hi my name is Derrick” tags.
I honest to god don’t know if English hangmen wore masks in those days, though I should, given some of the odd books I’ve read. However, there’s a difference between being able to say.“The hangman’s name is Derrick”, and being able to say “Hey, there’s Derrick the hangman. Didn’t he hang both your brothers, Big 'Arry?” A mask would certainly be helpful in ensuring that the first example did not turn into the second.
Question: was Derrick a hangman?
Or, did the name Derrick appear after the term applied to hangmen, & crept into the language just like the name Smith or Jones. Derrick can be a family name, too, you know.
Was Derrick hung like a derrick?
I can’t help wondering… was his surname Diggler?